COVID-19 accounted for about 1.1 million deaths in the United States, 365,000 in 2020 alone, and about 7 million worldwide. Due to underreporting, the actual global COVID-19-related deaths were likely between 15 and 30 million, with around 4 million in 2020. As devastating as these numbers were, without any behavioral changes—whether voluntary or mandated—deaths in the United States would have been about 8 million, and global deaths about 115 million, all within 2020. Behavioral measures included border closure, air filtration, surface disinfection, handwashing, wearing glasses/goggles, testing, contact tracing, and politically mandated nonpharmaceutical interventions such as mask-wearing, social distancing, school closures, and lockdowns. These measures significantly reduced mortality rates. Depending on the specific behaviors adopted and the extent of vaccination coverage, countries worldwide experienced widely varying outcomes—ranging from essentially no increase in deaths to overwhelming surges. Each country’s COVID-19 response was shaped by its leadership, making political decision-making a decisive factor in pandemic outcomes. Furthermore, recommended behaviors became heavily politicized and were implemented and adhered to unevenly. Each mandated behavior had significant negative consequences, such as reduced learning, diminished socialization, and increased incidences of measles and polio. In addition, maintaining safety required sacrificing quality of life. The most impactful measure was isolation, which contributed to increased stress, mental health problems, and delays in medical treatment—factors that led to higher mortality rates and deaths of despair. Moreover, a range of unusual human behaviors emerged. Misinformation spread rapidly, resulting in lower vaccination rates and reduced adherence to safe practices. Interestingly, even animal behaviors changed. Hence, this paper discusses behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic and their far-reaching consequences.

Breast cancer incidence is increasing globally, including populations of childbearing age. Infertility risk from cancer treatment can negatively impact mental health in breast cancer patients and survivors, in part due to a lack of understanding of the risk and mitigation options ahead of treatment. In this commentary, recent literature on understanding of breast cancer treatment risk to infertility is reviewed, and recommendations are made for improving knowledge for at-risk populations. In addition, we propose a novel integration of self-compassion interventions be applied within breast cancer clinical care, building on groundwork from both breast cancer and primary infertility research areas that indicate the psychological benefits of self-compassion. Considerations for the application of self-compassion interventions to address fertility concerns within breast cancer patient and survivor populations are discussed.

Using data from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey from 2005 to 2018, we examined the need for social services among disabled older adults in rural and urban China. Social services were classified into two types: Basic care and social connection. The Andersen model and ordered logistic regressions were employed to estimate how predisposing, enabling, and need factors are associated with the need for social services. We found significant rural-urban differences in the need for social services and its associates. Rural older adults reported a greater need for both types of services than their urban counterparts. Economic independence was associated with a decreased need for both types of services in urban residents; severe disability in activities of daily living was associated with increased need for both types of services in urban areas; coresidence with children was associated with decreased need for basic care services in both rural and urban areas. The findings suggest that developing social services is urgent in rural China to mitigate the decline of traditional family care.

The Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic has significantly affected the global workforce, with certain occupational groups facing greater challenges than others. Atypical part-time, temporary, and gig job workers are among the most vulnerable. This paper first examines the impact of the COVID-19 health crisis on atypical/ contingent workers by firm size, industry, and region. Second, we explore the factors determining the increase/decrease of the temporary labor force at the firm level. Third, we aim to verify the empirical validity of the Schumpeterian “destruction creative” hypothesis since any crisis is associated with destroying old jobs and creating new job needs. We mobilized a firm-level database of 12,193 firms from 19 countries and a dynamic logit model methodology. Our empirical results show that atypical workers were among those most impacted by COVID-19. Results by firm size show that small firms raised the probability of increasing the level of the temporary labor force, as opposed to medium-and large-sized firms. Results by sector of activity revealed that firms operating in sectors other than construction (hotels and restaurants, retail trade, IT, transport, machinery, and equipment) were less likely to increase their temporary labor force. Geographic location is a key driver of the increase or decrease in a firm’s temporary workforce. Furthermore, insufficiently educated labor and regulations drive temporary labor variations. Finally, the Schumpeterian “creative destruction” hypothesis was empirically confirmed.

Collective trauma is instigated on a wide scale by warfare, poverty, natural disasters, or global health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. For instance, natural disasters have a significant impact on the social fabrics of communities. This fallout can cause long-term social support networks to disintegrate, especially when combined with a high level of risk. In Faisalabad, Pakistan, COVID-19-induced collective trauma resulted in social and cultural upheavals, particularly in the initial phase of uncertainty when no effective medical interventions were indicated. At the community level, such difficulties were overcome through traditional cultural resilience. In this regard, cultural folk practices are generated and modified to comprehend and navigate challenging circumstances. Thus, this study investigates how community awareness and treatment alternatives during the COVID-19 pandemic were rooted in traditional and folk knowledge. Specifically, we conducted an ethnographic investigation to determine how individuals endured the pandemic during the first wave in 2020. The primary qualitative investigation revealed various aspects, including how religion influenced societal attitudes and provided individuals with the resilience to cope with the crisis. In addition, a number of cultural perspectives that emerged during the initial COVID-19 breakout and subsequent lockdown phase were investigated. Meanwhile, our empirical investigation considered therapeutic stances, such as herbal remedies, natural therapy methods, and traditional beliefs, on the socially constructed nature of illness. Overall, such therapeutic cultural resilience enhanced the emotional well-being, sense of personal power, and self-awareness of individuals in this community.

The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly impacted society, with older adults and men experiencing higher mortality rates. Paradoxically, despite lower mortality risk, women reported higher levels of fear than men. This study examines gendered emotional responses among adults aged 65 and older during the pandemic, using data from 322 individuals (219 women, 103 men) living in non-institutionalized settings and distributed in 45 of Buenos Aires’ 48 neighborhoods. Participants, recruited through snowball sampling, completed three waves of telephone surveys over 63 days during the peak COVID-19 period in 2020. The survey included 57 questions -both open and close ended -aimed at assessing emotional well-being during lockdown. This article focuses on data from three open-ended questions, which were instrumental in uncovering key themes about the emotional experiences of respondents during lockdown. Findings reveal that 63% of respondents experienced fear, with women consistently reporting higher levels. This fear often stemmed from a sense of loss, as qualitative analysis identified four categories of perceived loss: autonomy, socio-affective ties, economic stability, and health concerns. Gendered patterns emerged, with women frequently associating fear with the loss of social connections and emotional support, while men emphasized autonomy and economic stability. These differences underscore how social expectations and subjective beliefs shape emotional responses during crises. Our study highlights the importance of crisis response strategies, mental health support, and policies that address these gender-specific emotional needs.

This paper examines the relationship between endowment insurance and household consumption in China, a key issue in understanding the role of social security policies in shaping household financial behavior. Using data from the China Family Panel Studies spanning 2012 -2018, we employed a two-way fixed effects model and fuzzy breakpoint regression to analyze how participation in endowment insurance influences both consumption levels and structures. We focus on heterogeneity in consumption behavior across household registration types, geographic regions, and demographic characteristics such as age and income. The findings reveal that participating in endowment insurance generally enhances household consumption across various family types, with particularly strong effects for rural households, those in central regions, and families with members aged 60 and above. In addition, while participation in endowment insurance is associated with consumption upgrading, the receipt of pension benefits alone does not appear to influence consumption levels in the same way. A key result is the identification of a breakpoint in consumption behavior at pension age, after which household consumption tends to decline, especially in households with lower pension benefits. These results suggest that enhancing endowment insurance coverage and security could significantly boost household consumption and optimize spending patterns, particularly in rural and economically disadvantaged regions. Moreover, the findings have important policy implications for addressing income inequality and improving the economic welfare of vulnerable populations.

The declining total fertility rate in South Korea is a pressing issue, prompting numerous studies aimed at identifying the factors affecting fertility rates. However, limited empirical research has focused on investigating the relationship between regional economic disparity and fertility. This study examines the effects of economic development and regional economic disparity on fertility rates. Employing bivariate models, spatial panel models, and time series models, data on the total fertility rate across 16 metropolitan areas over a 20-year period from 2000 were analyzed. The findings indicate that economic development, as observed in the spatial panel model, has a positive effect on childbirth, although it does not reach statistical significance in the nationwide time series model when accounting for the regional disparity. Conversely, the study reveals a negative impact of Gross Regional Domestic Product disparity among regions on the total fertility rate. Consequently, this research underscores the importance of balanced national development in improving fertility rates, highlighting the detrimental consequences of widening regional disparity on low fertility. In addition, the study offers policy measures to address the challenge of local extinction.

Most sub-Saharan African countries have experienced high total fertility rates, leading to rapid population growth and policy concerns. This study examined the determinants of the desire to limit childbearing among married women in four high-fertility sub-Saharan African countries using the most recent demographic and health survey data: Gabon (2019), Mali (2018), Tanzania (2022), and Zambia (2018). The analysis included married women desiring to limit childbearing, with sample sizes of 3,664 (Gabon), 6,782 (Mali), 6,946 (Tanzania), and 6,674 (Zambia). Multivariate binary logistic regression was performed, and the results were reported with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Zambia recorded the highest proportion of married women desiring to limit childbearing (47%), whereas Mali had the lowest (23.9%). Older women (35 -49 years) were more likely to express this desire than younger women (15 -19 years) in Gabon (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 3.02; CI: 1.60 -5.70), Mali (aOR = 44.28; CI: 26.19 -74.89), Tanzania (aOR = 8.85; CI: 5.81 -13.49), and Zambia (aOR = 6.74; CI: 4.61 -9.86). Increasing parity was also a significant predictor. Women with one to two children had lower odds of wanting to limit childbearing compared to those with five or more children: (aOR = 0.05; CI: 0.03 -0.08) in Gabon, (aOR = 0.10, CI: 0.06 -0.15) in Mali, (aOR = 0.03; CI: 0.02 -0.04) in Tanzania, and (aOR = 0.04; CI: 0.03 -0.06) in Zambia. Across all countries, the age of a woman, parity, and decision-making were significant determinants of the desire to limit childbearing among married women. The study highlights the need to intensify reproductive health education and family planning services, particularly for younger women. In addition, empowering marginalized women can help them make informed reproductive choices, thus increasing their desire to limit childbearing.

The Zambian government has recognized family planning (FP) as a key strategy to reduce high fertility and teenage pregnancy rates. Over the years, contraceptive use has been increasing steadily in the country; however, the effects of increased contraceptive use on fertility dynamics have rarely been explored in Zambia. In this study, we examined the relationship between contraceptive transition and fertility dynamics using the Zambia Demographic and Health Surveys conducted from 1992 to 2018. We applied a Blinder-Oaxaca multivariable decomposition analysis technique to quantify the contribution of contraceptive transition to the observed reduction in fertility and teenage pregnancy rates. About 69% of the reduction in total fertility rate and 64% of the decline in teenage pregnancy rate were due to shifts in women’s sociodemographic characteristics. Specifically, the increase in contraceptive use rates from 14.2% to 45.0% accounted for 17.7% of the reduction in total fertility rate. Furthermore, 54.8% of teenage pregnancies were averted due to increased contraceptive use among teenagers in Zambia. The study establishes that contraceptive use significantly reduced fertility and teenage pregnancy rates. These trends can be predominantly attributed to an escalation in the proportion of females achieving secondary education, along with delays in age at first marriage and sexual initiation. This necessitates the enhancement of current sexual and reproductive health, and FP approaches to uphold the escalating levels of contraceptive utilization to further increase the impact on fertility dynamics in the country.